Inventing The

The Sanitaire OSCAR™ Process Performance Optimizer automatically detects and reports conditions in wastewater treatment tanks to improve the quality of treated sewage water and conserve energy at treatment plants. The OSCAR system employs a new generation of process controllers, automated reports, summary graphics, and an online maintenance interface to provide plant operators real-time information and tools for managing chemical and biological conditions in treatment tanks. In addition, the OSCAR system’s advanced and comprehensive reporting tools and controls can help plant operators adapt and respond to emerging wastewater treatment challenges, such as more stringent regulatory requirements, resource limitations, population growth and aging infrastructure.
To safely discharge or reuse wastewater for new applications, it first must be treated to remove contaminants that could damage human health or the environment. The “activated sludge process” — which uses living microbes to digest the nutrients and contaminants in wastewater — requires plant operators to constantly monitor and adjust equipment and energy inputs to keep the microbes alive and the treatment process stable. Over the past 20 years, advances in technology have facilitated the development of reactive and predictive process controllers that detect tank conditions and help optimize the treatment process.
Specifically, the Sanitaire OSCAR solution uses feedback from online sensor instruments to detect key conditions in wastewater tanks, such as ammonia, nitrate and oxygen levels, and make real-time adjustments to the equipment that controls the amount of air and biomass in the tanks. This continuous adjustment process eliminates the need for operators to manually monitor and adjust the aeration, pumping and mixing rates at treatment facilities, thereby improving the quality of sewage treatment, increasing overall system efficiency and reducing the energy inputs required for wastewater processing.
Business Roundtable members are creating technologies that actively contribute to a more efficient, secure and sustainable future for their customers and the public at large.
In Inventing the Future: How Technology Is Reshaping the Energy and Environmental Landscape Business Roundtable highlights just a small sample of technologies that are actively contributing to a more efficient, secure and sustainable future.
Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies working to promote a thriving economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans through sound public policy.